Some people will use the term "felt recoil" to differentiate between the practical considerations of recoil including muzzle blast, muzzle flash, stock design, etc. as opposed the the scientific/mathematically calculable motion of the firearm due to firing it.

I hate to be out in the woods...and hear someone banging away with a 30-06 where even a shotgun would be more practical... I like 30-30 because I'm usually in a situation of shooting the deer in a range between 25 & 75 yds...

I have 5 rifles:

375 H&H(rarely ever used - but I had to have one...It stays on the wall. )

308 Win(occassional - open country - for 75 - 300 yds)

243 Win(frequent - pleasant to shoot - for 75 - 200yds)

30-30(most frequently used - most practical in the woods for whitetail & hogs)

Western US (Colorado, Utah, Wyoming etc.) where wind and terrain make a 200 yard shot feel close?

Midwest Cedar swamps? Where you can't see the sky, much less anything more than 30yards away.

Somewhere in between?

I have several radically different firearms (30-30, .243, 7mm-08, 7mm Rem Mag, 12 ga, .357 max, 40 S&W, .50 cal muzzleloader) that I use for deer when appropriate.

Over-rated? Under-rated? Just right? This isn't Goldilocks and the 3 bears, firearms are tools and its up to the hunter to use the appropriate one for the job. Its also up to the hunter to know how to use the firearm.

For me, I would choose my 7mm rem mag if I could only choose one. I'd remount the 4.5x14 scope with removable mounts and have my 1x4 ready to go on it for swamp hunting. I already use different loads, depending on where I'm hunting (is that fair?) so I can be anywhere from a lightly loaded 7mm-08 up to near factory specs for a 7mm Weatherby.

I agree that some people Over-rate their favorite (30-06, .308, or 7mm), thats their problem.

I agree that some peope Under-rate the (30-06, .308, or 7mm), thats their loss.

IMHO, the 243 Win. is easily the most overrated deer caliber of all time. May be ok for open country, but the blood trails it leaves/doesn't leave are pitiful. There are hundreds of better rounds for deer hunting. Just my 2 cents worth.....

My pick for overrated: the 25-20; good plinker, but a lousey deer cartridge.

Who the heck rates the .25-20 as a deer cartridge?

Come to that, who the heck ever rates the .25-20?!? An 86 grain .25" bullet at around 1600 fps isn't even on my list of contenders.

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Those of you who know me also know that I have very little use for a 7MM Mag.

Is it a bad cartridge? No

Is it a usefull cartridge? Yes.

Does it have a very real meanigfull purpose? Yes but that purpose is not what many hunters try to make of this cartridge.

If you get past the "magnum" title and look past the ridiculous belt balistically speaking you've got a .30-06 class round. It is very close to what a .30-06 does and offers less in the heavy bullet department.

It is not a laser beam flat shootng round. It is not a good long range round on big animals such as elk and moose.

But for some reason only known to gun writers and marketing execs, hunters tend to try and make this round into an excentric long range death ray. Resulting in plenty of wounded game. I find that this prevailing attitude about the 7MM is responsible for more fouled up shouldn't have been taken in the first place shots than just about any other caliber out there.

Is it a good round for deer? Sure just like most of the others mentioned on this thread.

__________________
Velocity is thrilling, But diameter does the real killing.

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